Pumpkin Sourdough Doughnuts

I hope you feel the same way about Fall that I do. It makes me want to bake and add more pumpkin to everything. That’s why pumpkin sourdough doughnuts were on my list. This season brings us bright and hearty colors as well as delicious ingredients to bake with

Soft, moist and delicious.

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter 

• 5g sourdough starter
• 30g water
• 5g sugar
• 60g bread flour

Dough

• 280g bread flour (100%)
• 60g stiff starter (23%)
• 75g milk (27%)
• 125g pumpkin pure (45%)
• 50g eggs (18%)
• 55g soft butter (20%)
• 30g sugar (11%)
• 5g salt (1.8%)
• 0.5g yeast (optional) to reduce sourness 
• 1tsp pumpkin spice ( or 1/2tsp cinnamon , 1/4 tsp nutmeg , 1/4 tsp ginger spice) optional

Maple Syrup Cinnamon Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tbs maple syrup 
• 1-2 tbs millk

Directions 

Day 1

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter 

• 10 pm add sugar to the water and whisk together until dissolved, add sourdough starter and flour, mix well, form a ball, place in a jar, cover with lid, let it sit at room temperature 74-78F until it increases in volume.
• In about 8-10 hours sweet stiff starter should double or more in volume.

Day 2

Dough

• 8 am mix starter, milk, pumpkin purée, egg, flour, sugar (let it autolyse for 30 minutes).

• During the autolyse period the flour becomes fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
• 8.30 am mix the dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
• Add salt and mix for a couple more minutes. The dough should form a ball.
• Add soft butter, increase the speed, mix for 10-15 minutes until the dough comes up together. 
• 9 am cover and let it proof for 3- 4 hours at 76-80F/ 24-28C.

• During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
• The dough should become slightly puffy.

• 12 pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation for 8-10 hours.
• 10 pm remove the dough from the fridge.

• Roll the cold dough on the floured surface about 1 and 1/2 inches thick.
• Cut the doughnuts with ring mold or regular glass.
• Transfer each doughnut on single piece of parchment paper, this will help with transferring the proofed product later into the pot with oil.
• Cover the doughnuts, let them proof overnight on the countertop. Temperature should be 72-73F. 
• Next morning they should increase in size and become puffy.

Note : if it’s hot in your kitchen, better to put doughnuts in the fridge overnight, and make them proof next morning for 2-3 hours at 78-82F until they will become puffy and light.

Day 3

Morning

• If the doughnuts were proofing at room temperature, now they should be ready to be deep fried.
• Preheat the oil for about 30 minutes, and fry the doughnuts for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown.

• Then dip them into the glaze, or ice them the way you like them.

Enjoy your pumpkin sourdough doughnuts.

Pumpkin Sourdough Doughnuts

270kcal

No ratings yet

Pinterest Facebook Share on X

Share Print

Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 20 minutes mins

Total 23 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

These melt-in-your-mouth autumn doughnuts are exceptionally soft, airy, and rich. By using a sweet stiff sourdough starter alongside real pumpkin purée, the recipe minimizes unwanted sour acidity while creating a beautifully golden, pillowy brioche-style crumb that fries up perfectly and stays fresh far longer than standard doughnuts.

Servings 12 Large Doughnuts

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter (Night Before)

• ▢ 10 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 30 g Water
• ▢ 60 g Bread flour
• ▢ 6 g Granulated sugar

The Enriched Pumpkin Dough

• ▢ 400 g Bread flour (100%)
• ▢ 100 g Whole milk (25%)
• ▢ 140 g Canned pumpkin purée (35% – 100% pure pumpkin, not pie filling)
• ▢ 90 g Active sweet stiff starter (22.5% – From the stage above)
• ▢ Large egg
• ▢ 50 g Granulated sugar (12.5%)
• ▢ 60 g Unsalted butter, softened (15%)
• ▢ 7 g Fine sea salt (1.75%)
• ▢ 1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice mixture (Optional)

The Spiced Sugar Coating or Glaze

• ▢ 1 cup Granulated white sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice mixture
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups Powdered sugar Alternatively, for a liquid glaze
• ▢ 3 tbsp Milk Alternatively, for a liquid glaze
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract Alternatively, for a liquid glaze

Equipment

• ▢
  Deep Fryer or Heavy Dutch Oven (Essential for maintaining stable, deep-frying oil temperatures)
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (Crucial for handling the long mechanical mixing required to smoothly emulsify the butter into the enriched dough)
• ▢
  Round Doughnut Cutter (Or a 3-inch round biscuit cutter paired with a smaller 1-inch cutter for the holes)
• ▢
  Spider Strainer or Slotted Spoon (To flip and safely retrieve the frying doughnuts)
• ▢
  Candy/Deep-Fry Thermometer (Mandatory to monitor stable frying temperatures)
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Night Before – Sweet Stiff Starter Build

1. 10:00 PM – Stiff Starter Initialization: In a small glass jar, dissolve 6g of sugar into 30g of water and whisk cleanly. Stir in your 10g of starter culture and 60g of bread flour. Mix thoroughly and knead into a tight ball. Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until it more than doubles in volume and feels puffy.

Day 2 – The Enriched Pumpkin Autolyse & Mixing

1. 8:00 AM – The Pumpkin Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine all 100g of whole milk, 140g of pumpkin purée, 50g of sugar, 1 large egg, all 90g of your active overnight sweet stiff starter, and 400g of bread flour (along with the optional teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice). Mix everything together with a heavy spoon just until a rich, shaggy orange mass forms. Cover and let it autolyse untouched for 1 full hour to completely hydrate the flour proteins.
2. 9:00 AM – Developing Gluten: Attach your dough hook. Mix the autolysed dough on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until well incorporated. Add the 7g of fine sea salt and continue mixing for a couple of minutes until the dough pulls together into a cohesive ball.
3. The Butter Incorporation: Turn your mixer up to medium speed and gradually drop in the 60g of softened unsalted butter piece by piece. Once all the butter is introduced, increase the speed and mix continuously for 10 to 12 minutes until the fat is completely emulsified, the dough cleans the sides of the bowl, and it passes a clear windowpane test.
4. Bulk Fermentation Folds: Cover the bowl tightly and let it proof for 3 to 4 hours at a warm 76–80°F (24–28°C). During this window, perform 2 gentle rounds of stretches and folds to organize the rich gluten strings. The dough should become noticeably puffy and light.
5. 1:00 PM – Cold Stabilization Retard: Slide the covered proofing bowl directly into your refrigerator to rest and solidify the heavy fats for 5 hours.

Day 2 (Evening) – Rolling, Cutting, and Final Tray Proof

1. 6:00 PM – Precision Rolling & Cutting: Remove the chilled, firm dough from the refrigerator. Tip it onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the cold dough out evenly until it reaches a strict thickness of 1/2-inch. Using a floured doughnut cutter, punch out your shapes as closely together as possible. Group the leftover scraps together, let them rest for 10 minutes, and re-roll to cut the remaining shapes.
2. The Overnight Counter Rise Setup: Place the cut doughnuts and doughnut holes onto large baking sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of space between each piece. Cover them loosely with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let them proof overnight on your counter for 8 to 10 hours at room temperature 70–74°F (21–23°C) until the next morning. They must completely double in volume and look exceptionally light and fragile.

Day 3 – The Deep Golden Fry

1. Next Morning – Heating the Oil: Fill a heavy Dutch oven or deep fryer with a neutral vegetable or canola oil to a depth of at least 3 inches. Clip a candy thermometer to the side and heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches a stable 350°F (177°C). Place your sugar coating or liquid glaze ingredients into wide bowls next to your frying station.
2. The Fry: Carefully drop 2 or 3 proofed doughnuts into the hot oil at a time (do not overcrowd the pot or the oil temperature will drop). Fry for exactly 1.5 to 2 minutes until the bottom is a beautiful deep golden brown, then flip carefully with a spider strainer to fry the other side for another 1.5 minutes.
3. Glazing Finish: Remove the puffed doughnuts from the hot oil using your slotted spoon, allowing excess oil to drain off for 5 seconds over the pot.
4. If using the Spiced Sugar Coating: Toss the doughnuts directly into the sugar-spice mix while they are piping hot so the sugar crystals adhere to the surface.
5. If using the Liquid Glaze: Let the doughnuts drain on paper towels for 2 minutes to cool slightly, then dip both sides into the glaze and place them on a wire rack to set. Repeat for the remaining pieces and the doughnut holes, and serve warm!

Nutrition

Calories270kcalCarbohydrates67gProtein5gFat5gSaturated Fat3gPolyunsaturated Fat0.4gMonounsaturated Fat1gTrans Fat0.2gCholesterol12mgSodium233mgPotassium85mgFiber1gSugar22gVitamin A1962IUVitamin C1mgCalcium28mgIron1mg

Notes

• The Low-Acid Sweet Stiff Starter Secret: Enriched pastry doughs like doughnuts taste best without a sharp, sour vinegary profile. This recipe utilizes a sweet stiff starter build—which caps the hydration at 50% and introduces a touch of sugar—to specifically favor yeast production over acid-producing bacteria. This gives your pumpkin doughnuts a phenomenal rise and a beautifully mild, creamy, brioche-like flavor asset.
• Mastering Temperature Controls for Deep Frying: Maintaining your frying oil at a strict 350°F (177°C) is the single most critical factor for doughnut success. If your oil drops below 335°F (168°C), the enriched dough will absorb the liquid fat like a sponge, turning your pastries heavy and greasy. If the oil spikes past 365°F (185°C), the exterior skin will burn rapidly while leaving the real pumpkin core wet and raw. Check your thermometer constantly between batches.
• Managing the Delicate Tray Transfer: Risen sourdough doughnuts are incredibly fragile and full of expanding gas bubbles right before the fry. Touching or pulling on them aggressively with your bare hands can deflate them instantly, causing them to fry up flat. To move them safely, cut your parchment paper into individual squares beneath each doughnut ahead of time; you can then pick up the paper square and drop the doughnut smoothly into the hot oil without touching the dough skin.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.